It’s rare – a sweet I’ve never heard of. Something I have to try and haven’t. It doesn’t happen often. I’ve been around the baked good block.
But when I went West to visit someone worth visiting, I kept hearing about the Mochi.
“Like the ice cream?”
No. Not at all.
He described it as a flat, burnt muffin. He said it was chewy and not very sweet, like something went wrong.
I’ll admit, with that description in mind, I wasn’t overly eager to try one; but, I’d take any excuse to sit outside and sip coffee with him.
The little bakery/café was very Berkeley or Oakland…it was very wherever we were. Clean lines, open-air feel, a friendly dude, who deeply embodied dude, working the register and frothing what I assumed was hemp-seed milk.
And behind the glass – little burnt-looking muffins, sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds for a face lift.
My guy ordered us two strong coffees and two mochis with a wink that said, “Trust me.” Of course. Always.
It took more than one bite for me to get it. But with half the muffin gone, I was sold. The texture unlike anything I’ve munched before. A crispy outside and dense and chewy inside. Not very sweet but crazy tasty. His description was not inaccurate but definitely didn’t do the little treat justice.
And dipping the little brick into coffee…that’s heaven.
Back East, I find myself day dreaming of those way West weekends. Those little visits that were just the two of us.
Our secrets. Our things. Our shared experiences. Our little table in the sun where we munched mochis and fell in love.
Maybe you’ll fall in love too!
Here’s my recipe:
You’ll just need a few ingredients before you’re well on your way to Mochi-land. Full list below.
Place the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk them together.
Melt together the butter and coconut milk. Add it to the sweetened condensed milk. Whisk until smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Next, add the rice flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add the milk a little at a time, incorporating it completely before adding the next splash.
The batter will be smooth like pancake batter.
Thoroughly butter two muffin tins. The batter will make about 24 mochi. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way. Place the Mochi into a 350°F oven.
Bake for 45 – 55 minutes until the Mochi are golden brown. Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.
Brush a little melted butter on top of each mochi and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Enjoy with hot coffee or tea and DEFINITELY a special someone.
These mochi muffins are hard to describe. They are crispy and dense but also fluffy. They are sweet but not overly so. Just trust me, they’re great.
Mochi Muffins
Ingredients:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon of butter
3 eggs
12 ounces of coconut milk
1 pound of glutinous rice flour (I use Mochiko)
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of milk
black and white sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter two muffin pans
In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
In a small bowl, microwave the coconut milk and 1 stick of butter together until the butter is completely melted.
Add the coconut milk mixture to the sweetened condensed mixture.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Stir in the rice flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the milk a little at a time, stirring after each addition. When the batter is ready, it will be smooth and thin like pancake batter.
Pour the batter into the buttered muffin tins, filling them three quarters of the way.
Place the muffin tins into the preheated oven and bake for 45 – 55 minutes until the mochi are golden brown.
Let cool for 5 – 10 minutes before flipping out of muffin tins. Microwave the additional tablespoon of butter and brush it over top of the muffins. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
EAT!
I recommend you dunk them in coffee or tea – you won’t regret it!
These were amazing!!! Thanks for the recipe (and the muffins), Kaitlin! <3
Just read it aloud with matty. We want to try!
Just made these. They turned out delicious. Very close to the real deal. I think I will use coconut cream next time for a richer coconut flavor. Thank you for posting. I’ve been looking for a copy cat recipe for months.
So glad you liked the recipe Bri!!! Thanks for reading!
I’m about to make these muffins but wanted to clarify something. Eggs are not listed in your ingredients and are not mentioned in the bottom instructions at all but they are in the instructions with the photos. Which is it? Thanks!
Hi Marsha!
Thanks for catching that! There are 3 eggs in the recipe – I’ve updated it now. You whisk them in one at a time before adding the flour.
-EE
I work right by Asha Teahouse in Berkeley, and she’s right – their Hawaiian mochi muffins are amazing! They’re also $3.75 a pop, so when my colleague shared your recipe, I had to try it myself. They were a huge hit with my family, boyfriend, and the office!
Asha – https://www.ashateahouse.com